100 Theme Challenge
by MidnaVocaloid02
Summary: A set challenge to try and improve my writing techniques using various animes and games as well as tv shows and my own characters.
1. Introduction

Introduction

Isle of Man's Usual Day

The sky was blue and everyone was running around. The green terra around them stood as vigilant as ever. Children ran around laughing in joy as their parents started their morning routines. A boy, who seemed to stand out a little more than the other children, was laughing and having a terrific time. A small dog yipped at his feet as he ran around.

As the morning turned into afternoon, the children, the boy was playing with, seemed less interested in playing and more interested in finding something to eat. The boy waved good-bye to his friends and watched as they ran home to eat. The dog at his feet yipped some more and nipped at his jeans, wanting to play more.

He looked down and picked up his dog and walked down the streets of the small town. He was lost in thought about what his brothers and sister were doing. He loved his family and worried about them whenever they weren't around. He looked up at the sky and smiled brightly at the shining sun.

"I'll never be down!" He cheered. "I'm the Isle of Man!"

A boy nearby looked at him confused.

"You're a what?" He laughed.

"Don't you know, friend?" The blonde haired boy grinned. "I'm the epitome of the Isle!"

"Yeah right!" The boy laughed.

"It's true!" Mann fought back. "My big sister is Ireland and my big brothers live with that jerk, England!"

"Uh-huh…" The boy said in disbelief. "Then what's our motto?"

"Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand!" Mann said proudly. "Come one! Give me a real challenge!"

"All right…" The boy said, thinking of something. "Then what's the local legend of the island?"

"That big sister Ireland got mad about something big brother Scotland said and tried to throw a chunk of land at him." Man said. "I think she might have mistaken him for Wales or something."

"Uh…" The boy tried to think of something to say. He looked at Mann's feet and jumped in terror. "There's a black dog behind you!" He cried out.

"Huh?" Mann looked down to see his dog wagging his tail happily. "Don't worry! It's just Sirius!"

The boy was a little more scared of Mann's calmness towards the cursed mutt. He slowly backed away and ran off as far as he could.

"Aw…" Mann frowned. "I think I scared him again. I don't know how I do it!" He looked down to Sirius. "Do you know?" The pup tilted his head. "Another mystery in the world that'll remain unsolved, huh?"

Mann looked around the calm town and felt bored. "Wanna go find Sealand?" He asked Sirius. Sirius jumped to his feet and looked around.

"Let's go find him!" Mann laughed. He ran off to go and find Sealand, who was hanging out with the other micronations. Mann was jealous about how Sealand could get so many more friends than he could.

"Sealand!" Mann called out. The boy in the sailor suit turned to see a smaller version of England running towards him.

"Mann!" Sealand shouted back. He ran over and started talking about random things that came to mind. Mann, ignoring what he was saying looked over to see Ladonia and Wy.

"Hey Wy! Ladonia!" Mann smiled and ran to go greet them.

"Hey." Wy said. Ladonia nodded at him.

"What're you doing here?" Ladonia pouted. "Aren't you just an isle?"

"Doesn't mean I can hang out with my brother and his friends!" Mann said. He lunged towards Ladonia, who was, more or less, around his size and height. Ladonia started to freak out from Mann's sudden burst of energy and fell over. His face turned red as Wy and Sealand laughed at him and joined in. Sirius came by and barked, feeling left out.

"Come on, Sirius!" Mann hollered. "Lick Ladonia's face!"

"Nononononononono!" Ladonia screamed as Sirius slobbered over the young man's face. Mann nudged Sealand and let go of Ladonia. When he helped him to his feet, Ladonia's face was pale as a sheet and fell over again.

"I don't think he likes Sirius." Mann said.

"What's not to like about a puppy?" Sealand laughed.

"Right?!" Mann cheered.

The boys laughed for a while. Wy looked at them like they were insane, which, to some degree, they probably were. I mean they look like England. The boys looked at each other and then to Wy.

"Hey, Wy?" Sealand started.

"Yeah?" She said.

"Mann and I are going to see Mom and Dad." Sealand said. "Can you make sure Ladonia's all right when he wakes up?"

"Yeah… I guess." She nodded.

"Thanks!" Mann smiled and gave her a big hug. She blushed then pushed him away. He waved good-bye and ran off with his brother.

"What was that about?" Sealand asked.

"I dunno." Mann shrugged. "Maybe she likes me?"

"Yuck! Girls are weird!" Sealand said.

"Not Ireland!" Mann grinned.

"She's the best girl ever!" They laughed.

Both Mann and Sealand started to get excited as they ran towards a house that looked similar to Santa's. They sprinted towards the cute house and knocked on the door. A thin man in a pale blue uniform answered it and smiled when he saw them.

"Hello boys!" He smiled.

"Mom!" They laughed and hugged him. Another man came by and towered over them. He was wearing a dark blue coat.

"'lo boys." He greeted.

"Dad!" They cheered and hugged the tall man. He kneeled down and hoisted the boys on his shoulders. They were laughing in happiness and enjoyed the ride into the house. The smaller man picked up Sirius before he closed the door and quickly followed them in.

"I hear some midgets down there"! A rambunctious man cackled. The boys looked over to see another tall man with wild blonde hair.

"Uncle Den!" They cheered. Their 'dad' put them down on the ground and let them tackle the other giant. He fell back onto the couch at the boys hugged the wild man.

"So what're you two up to today?" He asked.

"Just wanted to come see everyone!" Sealand said.

"And we broke Ladonia again." Mann laughed.

"You two need to stop doing that." The crazy Dane laughed.

"But it's so fun!" Mann said.

Sealand looked over to see two men standing on the far side of the room.

"Mann! It's Uncle Norge and Big Brother Ice!" Sealand said. They both jumped off the Dane and ran towards the others. Both the brothers greeted the young boys with reluctance. The other three men watched with huge grins. They were happy to see the boys again, but happier to see them interact with the other young members of their strange family.

Mann looked around and felt happy to be surrounded by people he knew. Every day, when he went home, he felt like he'd never see them again. No matter how much time would pass or if they went to get something from the other room, he felt like he'd never see them again. Mann looked over to his laughing brother and joined in.


	2. Love

2. Love

KisuNazu: A Helping Hand

"Hey, Mr. Urahara, we have some customers!" Jinta hollered excitedly.

Before Kisuke could react, a few high school students made their way into his shop. Nazuna, Tessai, and Ururu all appeared from the storeroom and helped out as many people as they could. Nazuna was busy ringing up people as they checked out with whatever they needed. After one of the high schoolers purchased what they wanted, Nazuna's eye caught Kisuke trying to get a couple of them to busy some things they probably didn't need.

_i'It's been such a long time….'/i_ Nazuna thought.

~~100 Years Ago~~

"Ryuu, I don't get why that old man is so insistent that I do nothing but sit on my ass all the time." Nazuna grumbled. "I mean other than going on missions."

"That's because you're always causing trouble." Ryuunosuke laughed.

Nazuna looked different than she used to, for one she had both of her eyes. Her dark hair was tied back and her Soul Reaper uniform was turn up, she was missing her sleeves and her hakama were torn up at the ends. She had a captain's haori that was in its usual position, which was being held up by a purple sash that tied around her waist and then was folded over across the back of her legs. There was a couple of golden bands hugging her wrists.

Ryuunosuke looked nothing like his sister. He had short light brown hair and had a charismatic charm. He had golden eyes and a black choker around his neck; his sister fashioned the same accessory. He had an undamaged Soul Reaper uniform and a captain's haori as well, his was kept in better shape and had long sleeves.

Both Ryuunosuke and Nazuna shared a few things in common; they walked around with a certain dignity and noble airs as well as looking both lean and muscular than other Soul Reapers. This was something that came with being the last of a dying clan whose only message was "There will be a Hachia in every generation".

"Just think of it this way, Nazu, people are jealous of your battle prowess and the right thing for them to do is complain about it." Ryuu smiled.

"That doesn't make me feel better, you ass." Nazuna growled.

The pair continued to talk for a while longer as they walked through the Seireitei. Out of the blue, a dark haired woman lunged at Ryuunosuke. Nazuna jumped but Ryuunosuke just deflected the attack like it was nothing.

"How'd you see me?" The dark haired woman purred. "I was sure to be quiet this time."

"Have you forgotten that I taught you some of those moves, Yoruichi?" Ryuu laughed.

"Yeah have fun scaring me." Nazuna frowned. She lunged at Yoruichi with a fist pulled back but was stopped in midair by her brother. Nazuna grumbled a few things and started swiping the air like a rabid animal.

"Captain?" A large man asked as he came out from one of the buildings nearby. A blonde haired man chased after him. Nazuna managed to overpower Ryuunosuke's grip and shot him a dirty look before running off.

"Sorry about that, Yoruichi." Ryuunosuke apologized.

"It's all right; I'm used to knowing how Nazuna works." She grinned. "Oh! I want you to meet my new 3rd Seat Officer, Kisuke Urahara." Yoruichi motioned for the blonde haired man to come towards her and he stumbled his way over to Ryuunosuke. "Kisuke, this is the Captain of Squad 3 Ry-"

"Ryuunosuke Hachia." Kisuke said with a little awe. "I've heard so much about you, sir."

"I have another fan it seems." Ryuu chuckled. "Please call me Ryuu, it's easier to say. So you must be pretty strong to get Yoruichi's attention."

"I dunno about that." Kisuke laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Don't sell yourself so short." Yoruichi grinned. "You should be happy that you're my 3rd Seat Officer."

"Especially since Yoruichi is oh-so-picky." Ryuunosuke laughed. "Well, I better make sure my sister doesn't kill someone or do something stupid."

"Wait, I want her to meet Kisuke too." Yoruichi said. "Maybe meeting another guy'll lighten her up."

"We know how that'll end." Ryuu sighed and started to run after his sister.

Nazuna was marching back towards her squad's barracks, grumbling about this and that. She could see a few of her squad members running around, trying to finish their chores. They looked over at her and saluted. She nodded at them and watched as they went back to work. She was close to the entrance when another Captain came out of nowhere.

"Let's go Hachia!" He laughed.

"Another one, Kenpachi." Nazuna growled. "You'd think you'd learn by now to stay down."

Nazuna lunges at the man and the man returned the gesture. The pair started to dish out powerful punches and slashes that they didn't notice the Captains of Squads Two and Three until they pulled them away. Nazuna growled at her brother and continued to spat some unloving things about him.

"Yeah, yeah, Nazu, just chill out." Ryuu said.

Both Nazuna and the Captain of Squad 11 shot the other Captains a dirty look. Kenpachi gave up on another battle attempt and ran off somewhere, which made Nazuna about to light up like a keg full of gunpowder.

"Hey Nazuna!" Yoruichi smiled as she walked up to her.

"What do you want?" She grumbled.

"You to meet someone." She said and ushered Kisuke, who was a little afraid of Nazuna's anger, in front of him and held him in place. "He's my new 3rd Seat Officer, Kisuke Urahara."

Nazuna was silent for a moment as she sized him up.

"I-it's great to meet you, ma'am." Kisuke stammered. "I mean to meet another female Captain in the Court Guard Squads is amazing." He gulped down whatever it was that was troubling him but he was more worried about what she might do since she was quiet.

"Oh come on, Kisuke, she won't bite." Yoruichi said, pushing him towards Nazuna. "She not as strong as her brother after all, being the 7th Captain and all."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She growled. Kisuke almost jumped out of his skin but kept his posture as Nazuna gave him another look.

"Well that's amazing!" Ryuu smiled. "Nazuna almost never gives another look at someone. She usually shrugs them off and goes on with life."

"I just have a bad feeling about this kid is all…" Nazuna blushed. Before anyone could say anything else she ran off somewhere.

"Why does she always get so flustered?" Ryuu laughed.

"It could be because of you and Captain Yoruichi, sir." A man said approaching them. He had light silver hair with a slight blue tint and blue eyes. He wore the same uniform as all the other Soul Reapers as well.

"I dunno what you mean, Dante." Yoruichi shrugged. "Kisuke, this is Nazuna's Lieutenant, Dante Hirogisha."

"Pleasure to meet you." Dante said, shaking his hand. "Sorry about my Captain, she's very shy around new people."

"That was shy?" Kisuke blurted.

"As unbelievable as it is, yes it is." Dante nodded. "Now if you don't mind, I'll just go back to work since she's not going to finish it today."

A couple days went by and Kisuke was still being shown around by Yoruichi. When they arrived at the Squad 8 barracks, they found Nazuna arguing with a couple of Captains.

"Come on, Shunsui, just give up and admit it!" Nazuna said.

"Why would I do that? There's no proof that it'll happened, right Jushiro?" A dark, curly haired man said.

"I'm not getting wrapped up in this." A white haired man said.

"What're you doing now, Nazuna?" Yoruichi said.

"Besides being stalked by you? Nothing. Just having a friendly argument as to who would win against the Head Captain." Nazuna said.

"And I still think it's me!" Shunsui grinned.

"Yeah right!" Nazuna growled. "If we're talking power, I'm stronger than you both!"

"Wanna see if you're right?" Shunsui challenged.

"Let's not." Jushiro said, separating the two. "You might kill someone."

Nazuna looked over at Kisuke again, to see his face turn red, and turned around to go about her business. She made her way towards another area of the Seireitei that was secluded and for good reason too. The lace she was in was burnt to the ground and abandoned. She was here for a few hours, just staring at the would-be-settlement. She didn't notice that someone had followed her here either.

"What is this place?" Kisuke asked.

"A scared place." She said. "It was home to a once Noble Clan but is now nothing but remnants of what it used to be."

"The Hachia?" Kisuke asked.

"Yeah." She nodded and looked over to him. "What're you doing here anyways?"

"I was worried about where you would go so…" Kisuke trailed off.

"You followed me?" She scoffed. She saw Kisuke jump out of the corner of her eyes. "The first thing you gotta know about me is that I'm brash but I'm not stupid. I can think things over and do things at my own pace is I really need to… I just prefer not to."

"I see." Kisuke said. He sat down next to Nazuna and looked at the destroyed settlement.

"What happened?" He asked.

"This is the marks of betrayal." She said. "And now we're nothing but a legendary myth with a stupid saying too. Even those bastards at Central 46 don't believe in the Hachia Clan anymore. Thankfully that the Head Captain does. Though I doubt him when he says he fought with the Hachia during the Quincy War."

"Why not? He is old as time itself." Kisuke laughed.

"Yeah, you're right." Nazuna snickered.

"Hey, if I said something stupid, you wouldn't do anything would you?" He asked.

"Depends on what it is." Nazuna said, looking over at him.

"W-well… Captain Yoruichi introduced me to you on purpose…" He started. Nazuna raised an eyebrow, not liking where this was going. "It's just that she want to see Captain Ryuunosuke again, since he's hardly seen nowadays and she figured I could meet you too."

"Where are you going with this?" Nazuna asked.

"Well… I never saw anyone as pretty as you before…" Kisuke looked away, to hide his face but looked over to see Nazuna gone. He looked around and saw her running off somewhere. He got up to chase her, which was a theme for them.

Wherever Nazuna was, Kisuke wasn't far behind and she learned to get used to him being like a ghost around her. Sometimes he was there and other times he wasn't; but when he was he usually scared the crap out of her, which usually gave him an angry remark. One day, Nazuna heard that Kisuke got promoted to Captain and was there to congratulate him. Soon after, rumors started circulating that Nazuna had gone berserk and killed almost an entire district within the Western part of the Rukongai.

"Nazuna Hachia, you are hereby charged with high treason and several account of murder; which include the murder of your Lieutenant, Dante Hirogisha, both the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad 3, Ryuunosuke Hachia and Mukudori Hirogisha, and the murder of nearly 100 innocents in the Rukon District." The judge said as he read off the list in front of him. "You're also charged with using Hollow like powers."

Nazuna was below him, shackled from head to toe and standing next to a pair of Yoruichi's men; who were ready to put her down if she were to run off or something stupid. Nazuna was surrounded in a circular room full of Central 46 officers and the 13 Captains of the Court Guard Squad, now 11 Captains. She looked up to see a few people she recognized and saw the shock on their faces that she would end up where she was. She looked at her blood soaked uniform as some strands of hair covered her right eye, where a dried blood stain was trickling down her cheek.

"Do you have anything to say for your inhumane crimes?" The judge asked. The whole room looked at Nazuna. She looked up with her infamous scowl.

"Anything to say? I have more than enough to say!" Nazuna roared. "First of all, why would I kill my own brother?! Let alone my Lieutenant?! This was a trap and whoever did it is still sitting on his high horse somewhere!"

"Do you have a name to this elusive mastermind?" He asked and watched as Nazuna's face faltered.

"No…" Nazuna murmured. "And you should know that the WHOLE Hachia Clan is full of warriors that can control their Inner Hollows! We all have masks when we have our Bankai activated. And because we can control it, we're a special exception."

"We do need feed on the narcissism that legends and myths demand." He said.

"MYTHS?!" Nazuna's jaw dropped.

"If you are done yammering, you are hereby given the death sentence for your crimes." He said.

Nazuna froze at the punishment given to her. She twitched for a moment and started shaking. She broke free of her shackles and knocked down the guards next to her. She leapt towards the judge but was knocked across the room and lay on the floor, unmoving. The next thing she knew, she was in a cell and had her arms bound together. She tried to free herself but ended up hurting herself instead.

"Can't make life too easy, huh?" Nazuna grumbled. She heard someone walking towards her and looked up to see Kisuke.

"Yoruichi says that she's sorry for what she did." He smiled.

"I'm sure she is." Nazuna said. "What do you want? To rub in my face how awful a person I am for killing those innocent people and my own brother?"

"No." He said. "A few of the Captains know what you say is true but we can't do anything to provide evidence against it." Nazuna sighed. "Do you remember anything about the person who did this?" He asked.

"I just remember seeing a blur." She said. "Sorry it's not much nor is it helpful."

"It's all right." He said. "What happened to your eye?"

"That's the funniest thing." Nazuna gritted her teeth. "The only thing to stop a rampaging Hachia is by catching them by surprise and someone did just that by stabbing my eye out."

"Yeah, well you can thank Lt. Aizen Sosuke for that." He laughed. Nazuna heard a lock being undone and looked up to see Kisuke opening her cell door.

"You're gonna get in so much trouble." She laughed.

"Guess love makes you do stupid things." He laughed and helped her out of her binds. "I couldn't find your Zanpakuto." He said as she was rubbing her wrists.

"And they didn't find them either." She said as she held up a cluster of hairpins in her hand.

"Weren't they attached to your wrists?" He asked.

"Yeah." Nazuna nodded. "But Dante is… was special. He could manipulate spiritual pressure and change the appearance of his Zanpakuto. So I somehow absorbed his power and next thing I know my Zanpaktou's a bunch of hair pins."

"Lemme guess, some magically Hachia-Hirogisha thing, right?" Kisuke laughed.

"Something like that." Nazuna smiled.

Nazuna and Kisuke ran off towards a remote part of the Soul Society before anyone noticed she had left her cell. They reached a secluded area and looked at one another. Nazuna didn't really know what to do and ended up fidgeting her fingers.

"So… uh… I guess I'll see you around, eh?" Nazuna smiled weakly.

"So Yoruichi wasn't pulling my chain. You're really bad at good-byes." Kisuke snickered. Nazuna blushed and looked away.

"Fine, I guess I won't see you ever." Nazuna pouted. "Just be an asshole like everyone else is."

She looked back to see what he was up to and just say black. Her cheeks turned red when she realized what he was doing. She stubbornly returned the gesture and didn't want to let go. She was slowly starting to realize that she wasn't going to see any of her friends again and she'd live with the fact that she killed those innocent souls in the Rukongai.

"Kisuke?" She said after a while.

"Hmm?" He responded, resting his chin on her head.

"I'm scared." She said. Nazuna felt Kisuke's grip tighten and she just dug her face into his jacket.

"It'll be all right." He said. "I'll try to visit you as much as I can."

"Thanks." She said. There was some noises coming from Central 46 and Nazuna could sense groups running around to search for their lost prisoner.

"Well, be grateful for being the first person to break out of Central 46 and still living." He smiled. Nazuna looked up at his goofy face and smiled.

"And you're the goofiest person I'll ever know." She said.

Nazuna pulled away and started to walk off but was pulled back towards Kisuke and was face to face with him. She felt a lump in her throat and her mind went blank as her heart started to race. Kisuke's lips met hers and Nazuna's face turned bright red. She could hear a few people screaming nearby and pushed him away. He gave her a confused look and nodded back as she summoned the Senkaimon.

"See ya later, blondy." Nazuna said as she jumped through the grandiose gate that disappeared after she entered.

Another few years went by and Nazuna was adapting to life in the Human World. She knew most of the Humans wouldn't ever be able to see her, and if they did they had some spiritual pressure but would consider her to be a ghost. Nazuna did help out people whenever it was needed; like from a Hollow attack or helping some souls reach the Soul Society.

Nazuna also had trouble adapting to the Humans' current culture and way of fashion. She managed to get something she would be used to wearing and wouldn't trouble her so much. She had a purple shirt that was covered by a gray jacket and then a regular pair of jeans. She wondered how the humans got so creative in what to wear and why most of them ignored tradition.

One day, as she was walking around Karakura Town, she noticed a strange man in a green attire, he had a strange white and green striped hat, and Nazuna was sure he was familiar. She raised her eyebrow and shrugged as she continued to walk around. Later that day, she saw him again, this time he was busy running off somewhere.

"What a weird man…" She muttered as she continued to walk. The dark clouds above in the sky were starting to loom and she flipped her hood over her head as rain started to sprinkle on the Earth.

Night was approaching and Nazuna was getting tired from walking around. She found an old shop that had a van in the valley next to it. The van looked slightly unused and she figured they wouldn't notice she was in it, or notice her at all. As she neared the shop, the green man jumped out at her again. She gave him a confused look and couldn't place why he looked so familiar.

"Nazu!" He grinned and ran over to hug her. Nazuna gave him a baffling look and pushed him away.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"You don't remember me?" He said. "Well, I don't blame you. I didn't really keep my promise to you." Nazuna was still giving him a bewildered look. "It's me! Kisuke!" Nazuna walked over to him and punched him.

"What idiot forgets a promise he makes to a girl who was forced into exile and being all alone?!" She growled.

"Glad you haven't changed." He chuckled. "So instead of jumping into that van and leaving, would you like to help me in my shop and possibly living here as well?"

"Like I have anything else to do." She muttered. "Sure, I'll help you out."

~~Present~~

Nazuna sighed as she remembered her Soul Reaper days and looked over to see Kisuke waving good-bye to the high schoolers. He walked over to her with his usual goofy grin.

"So why were spaced out?" He asked. "Tessai and I had to figure out the whole exact change thing since you were being a zombie."

"Sorry, I was just remembering the day we met." She said.

"Yeah, well, I'm still terrible at keeping my promises." He chuckled.

"Ain't that the truth." Nazuna said as she got up to go get something to eat.


	3. Light

3. Light

Riddler x Nightingale: Riddle Me This…?

"Arkham Asylum, huh?" A dark haired woman sighed. She ran her hands down her ponytail for the umpteenth time as she nervously waited for the car in front of her to drive past the security gate. She turned down the radio as she drove closer to the ominous gates.

"Who'd a thought I'd be working here after having a great job at Wayne Tech?" She groaned. "I had the benefits I wanted and there was a low chance of me getting killed or seriously injured by these crazy inmates Bruce always finds." She drove up next to the gate and smiled at the security guard.

"ID ma'am?" He asked. She handed him her ID and watched as he nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly handed it back to her and let her through the gates. "Have a nice night, Ms. Wayne."

"And to you too." She said and muttered "That never gets old" as she found the staff member parking lot. She grabbed her coat, badge, and a few papers before she locked her car and pocketed her keys.

Claire looked at the grandiose building in front of her. If it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't at an Asylum or that the night sky made everything look incredibly horrific, she might've liked the buildings around the island a little more. Claire noticed a few nearby staff members and chased after them towards the main building and was in a little bit more awe when she entered.

"Creepy, isn't it?" A guard said.

"I was actually going to say it looks really pretty." She said and looked at the guard. He looked like he was a little older than herself and had dark skin and a peculiar hand.

"Got this from Killer Croc." He said as he showed her his hooked hand.

"Really?" Claire said, slightly surprised. "Must've been some fight."

"Worth getting in trouble with that's for sure." The guard laughed. "I'm Cash by the way, Aaron Cash." He held out his right hand to shake hers.

"Claire Fitzgerald." She smiled and shook his hand.

"So you're the Wayne kid people are freaking out about." Cash laughed.

"I changed my name for that reason." Claire sighed. "I like being related to my brother and all but the publicity is crazy."

"So what're you doing here at Arkham?" Cash asked.

"I'm hoping to work here but I'm not familiar with the area." She said. "I have to find out where the Warden is so I can start."

"I'll take you to him." Cash said. "I need to give him a report anyways."

"Thanks." Claire smiled.

She looked around the massive building as Cash led her into the security checkup in the next room. Once she was cleared, and scared another guard, Claire followed Cash up the steps and past a huge statue. She couldn't place who he was but figured he was important enough to get a statue of himself and even in the main lobby of the main building too. Cash led her to a hallway full of security guards and doctors walking about with several glassed cases holding something of value from one of the infamous super-criminals. Claire could see a collection of umbrellas and a top hat that Penguin had and then she saw a collection of knives with strange tack marks written on slips of paper that she recognized as something Zsasz.

"Could they have a creepier collection here?" Claire asked.

"Gotta keep the guests interested." Cash said. "If any have the common sense to run away first."

"It's the super-villains." Claire said. "Everyone wants to see them. This asylum is more of a zoo than a treatment facility."

"Got that right." Cash laughed. "So what brings you here, Ms. Wayne?"

"You know, the fanciful life as an aristocrat gets boring and I figured 'What could be more dangerous than building things? Oh! I know, working at Arkham Asylum!'" Claire said. "It was actually to get away from my brother. He's more reliant than he looks."

"I have a hard time believing that." Cash laughed. "But you're really that bored?"

"Yes and no." Claire said. "But that's what all I have to say about that."

The pair arrived at a large set of doors that led into a room full of secretaries who were busy writing and taking calls for the Warden. In the next room, the Warden was busy reviewing some papers on his desk as a female doctor stood next to him and informed him about some of the patients.

"That's why Dr. Kellerman refuses to deal with Dr. Crane." She finished.

"I could care less about how get those patients healed just figure out how to get them out of here and on to the streets safely." The warden groaned.

"Warden Sharp." Cash called out. The Warden and the doctor turned to see both Claire and Cash walking up to them. Cash handed his report to the tired old man and nodded. "Last night's report on Croc's fight with Frostbite."

"Those two need to be separated whenever they have time to walk around." The woman scolded the Warden. "I keep telling you this'll happen every time they're together. You know they can't stand one another."

"Yeah, I'll get to fixing that as soon as I can." Warden Sharp sighed. He looked past his glasses to see Claire looking between them all, wondering what they'd say next. "And who are you?"

Claire's heart almost stopped. She couldn't believe Warden Sharp didn't realize who she was until she thought of handing him her badge then the look on his face almost made her laugh.

"Ms. Wayne!" He gasped, jumping out of his seat and straightening himself. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm just here for my new job." Claire smiled, taking her badge back.

"Oh, right!" Warden Sharp cleared his throat and pointed to the woman next to him. "This i-"

"I am Dr. Gretchen Whistler." The woman said, holding a hand towards Claire.

"Claire Fitzgerald." Claire smiled.

"No Wayne?" Dr. Whistler smiled.

"That's more of a personal reason, ma'am." Claire smiled. "Anyways, where do I start?"

"You start by observing." Dr. Whistler said as she led Claire out of Warden Sharp's office and into the hallway again. Claire noticed she was looking through a file and figured it might've been the same one transferred from Gotham General. "I see your reputation precedes you, Ms. Fitzgerald."

"So I've heard, ma'am." Claire said. "The staff at Gotham General was disappointed to hear that I wanted to leave them and join the staff at Arkham."

"And we're glad to have you." Dr. Whistler said. "Even if Warden Sharp doesn't realize how beneficial it is to have a Wayne working at Arkham."

Dr. Whistler had led Claire outside of the grandiose building, which the Doctor said was the main mansion where most of the offices and files were, and towards the other end of the island where the medical facility was. Claire was astonished and perturbed at the gothic design of the asylum as they passed through the ancient tunnels. Security guards greeted them as they passed by and arrived at the medical facility.

"So what should I do, ma'am?" Claire asked.

"Please, call me Gretchen." Dr. Whistler smiled. "You'll be watching me and a few of my colleagues interview the infamous super-villains."

"Ma'am, I'm a little worried about what they'll do if I am in the same room as them." Claire admitted. "You know, my being a Wayne and all." Dr. Whistler put a hand on Claire's shoulder.

"Ms. Fitzgerald, I did say your reputation precedes you did I not?" She smiled.

"Haha… it seems so." Claire laughed nervously. "I'll try not to create too many problems; assuming they don't start or give me a reason to." Dr. Whistler gave Claire a warning look. "Of course there's nothing wrong with asking for a guard or two's help."

"Now, you're first interview will be with Mr. Cobblepot." Dr. Whistler said as she started to walk off. Claire sighed and chased after her.

"Shouldn't we be in another building? This is where the patients get treated." Claire asked.

"Lucky for you, he's here." She said, handing Claire a clipboard with a legal pad on it. "He got into an accident with Ms. Frost."

"Frost?" Claire titled her head in confusion.

"Frostbite." Dr. Whistler frowned. "I try to keep a first name basis with the patients rather than use their other names."

"I wasn't sure Ms. Frost had a last name." Claire said as they approached a secluded room with guards outside the door.

"If she does, she doesn't want to say what it is." Dr. Whistler said. "She has as big an ego as all the other patients." Dr. Whistler waved her badge at the guards and Claire did the same as she followed her into the room.

The room was smaller than it looked but roomy enough for maybe a few more nurses or orderlies to stand by and observe. Claire noticed the infamous monocle on Oswald Cobblepot's eye and his infamous height as well. Dr. Whistler motioned for Claire to sit next to her and take notes on the interview.

"Mr. Cobblepot." Dr. Whistler said as he looked around the room. He noticed Dr. Whistler and gave her a dirty look and then looked at Claire.

"Well I'll be, it's the right Wayne." He chuckled and coughed.

"Hello Oswald." Claire nodded. Dr. Whistler was a little surprised Claire knew him on a first name basis but shrugged when Dr. Whistler looked at Claire.

"Mr. Cobblepot, this is my assistant, she'll be taking notes. So act as if she isn't here." Dr. Whistler said. "Now, would you like to continue from where we left off last time? We were talking about your girlfriend, Roxie Martin. How did you meet her?"

"Goldie is one of my treasures." He corrected. "She's the most prized possession I've ever acquired… the next thing after her will be a tie between that bloody clown and the Bat." Penguin continued to rant about how much he hated the Joker and Batman for about an hour. Claire was wondering how much more exciting it could get when Dr. Whistler calmed him down.

"Thank you, Mr. Cobblepot, but that's all the time we have today." Dr. Whistler said and took Claire out of the room as fast as she could. Halfway down the hall, the older doctor looked at Claire.

"Do I want to know how you two know each other?" She asked cautiously.

"I went to the Iceberg Lounge one night and told him I wanted to play cards. He hated my because of my last name and if I didn't beat him at his own game, I'd be a dead woman. That I knocked out his thugs before he could do anything." Claire said. "After that we just kind of got along on a weird level."

"Oh…" Dr. Whistler wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or impressed with Claire's bravado.

"So who's next? Or is that it for the night?" Claire asked. "And before you answer, can I remind you I've never been on this island?"

"Well, I would suggest a tour but I think we've had enough." Dr. Whistler said. "I should introduce you to the staff members though."

Dr. Whistler led Claire into the medical staff room in a little down the hallway. Claire met Drs. Kellerman, who seemed very jumpy and uptight, and Cassidy, who seemed like the normal one. Claire introduced herself and Dr. Cassidy seemed to have the only reaction. Not too long after, Dr. Young appeared.

"Ugh! I can't stand that man!" She groaned.

"What's wrong now, Penelope?" Dr. Cassidy asked.

"It's Nigma again." Dr. Young said. "He's so annoying…"

"He reminds me of Crane." Dr. Kellerman groaned.

"Is it his riddles again?" Dr. Whistler asked.

"Yes!" Dr. Young said.

"Maybe I can interview him?" Claire asked. The doctors all turned to give Claire a worried look. Dr. Whistler thought over what Claire said as Dr. Cassidy asked if she was all right.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Claire smiled. "I just figured if you're having lots of trouble with him, then maybe I can deal with him. I dealt with lots of maniacal people like him at Wayne Tech. We even quizzed each other too."

"I don't see why not." Dr. Whistler said. "It might be better than observing."

"Whatever," Dr. Young said, "as long as I don't have to deal with him anymore."

"Is he still in the interview room you left him in?" Dr. Whistler asked.

"He should be on his way out with his escort." Dr. Young said. "You'll still be able to catch him. He's right across the hallway."

Dr. Whistler led Claire outside the hallway and almost ran into a group of guards. Dr. Whistler explained that Edward Nigma needed to be interviewed again. The guards shrugged and turned around to put him back into the room. Claire watched as Nigma's face scrunched up in a scowl and groaned as he was led back into the room.

"Are you ready, Ms. Fitzgerald?" Dr. Whistler asked.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah." Claire nodded. "Anything I should be aware of before I go in? Anything in particular I should do?"

"Just try to be his friend and gain his trust." She replied. "Your goal is to get on his good side so you can help him recover."

"All right." Claire nodded.

"Oh, and try not to play along with his riddles." Dr. Whistler warned as Claire entered the room.

_i'Great, another doctor to try and "help me"…'/i _Edward thought as he looked at the old crone. He couldn't believe she had talked his escort into letting him go through ANOTHER interview when he just got rid of Dr. Young. Before he entered the room, he noticed another doctor next to the old woman. There was something about her that he couldn't place but he somehow recognized her.

The guards strapped him to his chair once more and he sighed in exasperation. The guards gave him a snide look and he heard them murmuring something but couldn't make out what exactly. He looked at the table and sighed as he wondered what that crone might try to get him to say today. The door opened and he looked up to see the other doctor instead. She slyly closed the door and sat down across from him. He tried to see the name on her badge as she was trying to organize herself.

"Hello." She smiled innocently. "I'm Claire. What's your name?"

"Are you stupid?" He asked her. Claire frowned and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to be nice." She said coolly. "But if you want to be like this instead, I can get Dr. Young back in here."

"I mean you already know who I am!" Edward corrected himself and looked at the file she had in front of her. "My file is right there."

"Actually this is Mr. Cobblepot's patient file." Claire smiled and showed him the name. "And I was trying to be nice and ask your name; even if I do know it, Edward Nigma."

Edward looked at the files dumbfounded. How could he mistake it for Penguin's… unless Dr. Young didn't give her his file yet…? He scrunched his face again as he tried to think it out but was startled to hear Claire laughing.

"What're you thinking about?" She asked.

"What kind of riddle to ask you." He retorted. "No doubt you can solve it though."

"Well of course, who can beat the Riddler in mind games?" Claire smiled. His eyes turned to slits and he wondered what she was playing at.

"Well, while you're thinking of what to ask me, may I ask a few things?" She said. He didn't reply. "Sounds good! So, first off, let's start with recent events, hmm? How did you end up here? And don't tell me that I should've watched the news, I want to hear it from you."

Edward stared at her with his curious blue eyes. He pursed his lips and tried to think of something to counter her question. Then something came to mind and he grinned, looking at Claire.

"How about we make a deal?" He started.

"I'm listening." Claire said.

"We take turns asking questions." He smiled. Claire took a moment to think about it then agreed.

"Sure." She said. "So answer my question then."

"Batman caught me." He said.

"How? What were doing?" Claire said.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Edward frowned. "I answered your question now answer mine."

"I don't think so." Claire said. "You stated that we should only take turns. There was no mentioning of how many we should take and if we are satisfied with that answer." Edward's jaw dropped as he listened to her. "Now Mr., Nigma, why did Batman catch you? And what were you doing?" Edward sighed from a rising anger.

"Batman caught me as I was about to kill an innocent woman. And it's because he didn't answer my riddle correctly." Edward said, slightly gritting his teeth.

"Now was that hard?" She teased. "So who was this woman? Did you know her?"

"No and some mindless dreck." He frowned.

"All right." She said, scribbling on her note pad. "You're turn."

"What has two faces and two titles?" He asked, feeling a little prideful for being able to ask a riddle.

"Two-Face?" Claire said. "Half his face is from an acid burn and he had the title of a DA before he became a mob boss."

"Wrong." Edward grinned, his pride following through him. "You." Claire raised an eyebrow. "You go by two names: Claire Fitzgerald and Claire Wayne. Therefore you also have two titles: Heiress to the Wayne fortune and a doctor at Arkham."

"Interesting." Claire smiled. "That is if I was interested in my brother's parents' money. Sadly, I'm not. Now, why riddles? What's so interesting about them?"

"Why aren't you interested in the money?" He asked, dodging her question.

"Sorry, Mr. Nigma, but that strategy only works if you're holding the cards in this room; and you're not." Claire's eyes flickered to the guards behind him. When he looked back he could see the guards looking at each other than at Claire in awe.

"Fine…" He said, gritting his teeth again. "Riddles are a way to show how smart someone is and the smarter that person is, the easier it is to separate them from the rest of society."

"Full of mindless drecks, right?" She asked. "All right, so what do you have to ask next?"

"What do you call a two faced person?" He asked.

"Harvey Dent?" Claire smiled.

"A human." Edward said, giving her a glare.

_i'And Gretchen thought I might need help.'/i_ Claire thought as he stared at Edward. _i'Now to figure out a way to get him to talk through those riddles…'/i_

Edward couldn't believe this woman. He started off not caring about her but now she was getting on his nerves and insulting him with that smile she continued to wear. And what was worse it that she was twisting the rules into her favor; the same set of rules she had created too. He sighed and looked at his hands, trying to think of another riddle.

"What kind of animal has a short temper?" He asked.

"One that's as cold as Frostbite." Claire said.

"Who's the butt of every joke?"

"The Joker."

"Certainly this man appreciates a nice cold habitat unlike his friends."

"The Penguin."

"And of course this guy isn't as scary as he looks." Edward said.

"Scarecrow." Claire answered. "Almost done describing most of the patients here at Arkham?"

Edward tried to think of another question to ask her but drew a blank. He wasn't sure what to ask her next. He was silent for a while until he heard the screeching of a chair and looked up to see Claire gathering her things.

"And that concludes our session today." Claire smiled. "See ya later, Mr. Nigma."

The next few days were basically the same: Claire came to work interviewed the Riddler and then tried to learn as much as she could from him and then Riddler would give her a hard time, insult her, and ask thousands of riddles.

"And yet again, I win Edward." Claire smiled. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"If you must…" Edward grumbled.

The guards removed his shackles to the chair and escorted him to his cell. Edward gave them a dirty look after they threw him back in his cell and started thinking about what kind of riddles he'd ask in his next interview. Hours went by and he figured out a few good ones but thought of something better.

"I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!" Edward whispered as he looked out of the small barred window on the cell door and waited for the guards to pass by his cell. He watched as the guards pass and disappear into the dark hallways then he quickly got a key he had taken earlier and used it to unlock his cell. He looked around carefully before sneaking off towards the Arkham grounds.

He found his way towards the main building and eventually towards the records room. Edward scoffed at how easy it was and reminded himself to comment about the security later as he started trifling through the staff member files. He looked through the "F" section and didn't find her so he skimmed through all the other files until he found it in the "W" section. As he reached for it, he heard a door opening nearby. He grabbed the file, shut the file cabinet, and silently made his way back to his cell. Once he made it back, Edward started trifling through the file.

Claire yawned as she drank her coffee and tried to wake up. She looked around her desk for something, wasn't really sure what it was, but found it as Cash entered the room.

"Good ol' cup of Joe, eh?" Cash laughed.

"Yeah, it's good all right." Claire stuck her tongue out and pushed her coffee towards the top part of her desk. "You can have it if you want it, I only took a sip."

"Then why get it?" Cash asked as he eyed the cup carefully before taking it.

"Because it wastes time in the morning and lets me think I have some time to myself before the day starts." Claire said as she looked around for a pen.

"So did you hear an inmate got into the records room?" Cash asked.

"I doubt it was Killer Croc." Claire said. She found her pen and started scribbling a "to-do list" on her notepad.

"If it was him, I wanna know how he got up past all that security." Cash grumbled as he drank the cup of coffee. Claire looked up at the security officer with a quirked eyebrow.

"He would've eaten them or beaten the ever-living shit outta them." Claire scoffed.

"Are you sure you're not the crazy one here?" Cash asked. Claire paused for a moment and pretended as if she was really thinking about it.

"Oh yeah… actually no, my brother has strange sleeping habits." Claire says. "He also mumbles about his strange fondness for nocturnal animals."

"I bet." Cash laughed.

Cash said his good-byes to Claire and the morning started soon after as people ran around doing this and that. Claire checked the time on her watch a couple hours later to see it was time for her one and only patient to spill the beans on his life. On her way to the interview room, she saw Dr. Whistler and Dr. Cassidy.

"Hey Gretchen, Sarah." Claire smiled.

"Hey Claire!" Sarah said giddily.

"Hello." Gretchen nodded.

"What're you up to today?" Claire asked.

"We're checking the rooster to see who sneaked out last night to go into the records room." Dr. Cassidy said.

"And so far, no luck." Dr. Whistler frowned. "But rest assured, your patient didn't get out last night."

"Well, that makes me feel better." Claire sighed.

"Getting on your nerves yet?" Dr. Cassidy asked.

"Nope, just slightly annoyed with his ego and I can't decide if it's bigger or as big as my brother's." Claire joked. "I'll see you guys later, good luck with your search."

"Good luck with your interview." Dr. Cassidy said as Claire walked off.

_i'Somehow I think I'll need that…'/i_ Claire thought as she entered the interview room. No one was here yet and she checked her watch to see that she was on time but the door opened to reveal The Riddler walking in with his usual escort.

"Hello Edward." Claire said as she sat down.

"You're here early." He grinned.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been able to keep track of time lately." Claire said. She watched as the guards left the room after they shackled him to the chair. Claire looked over Edward one more time before she started the interview.

"You're very giddy this morning." Claire said. "Did everyone leave you alone while you were out this morning?"

"I just had a good night sleep is all." Edward replied with a smile.

"Well that's good." Claire smiled as she looked down at her notes.

_i'Today's the day I outsmart her and humiliate her!'/i_ Edward thought as he failed to suppress another smile.

"So what's today's riddle?" Claire asked as she crossed her legs.

"What is tall, slender, and smart?" He asked.

"How many times do I have to say no flirting?" Claire frowned.

"Fine." He shrugged. "Who had an unfortunate life as a kid?"

"I'm going to guess you?" Claire said.

"Wrong, that'd be a previous Wayne." Edward said.

"Who?" She asked.

"Well you should know her quite well." He grinned. A moment passed and Edward asked her another question: "So who is the heiress to two fortunes?"

"Hmm… Going by the previous answer, I'm going to say me." Claire said.

"Who had a twin sister when she was little?" Edward said, slightly hoping she'd break from her cool attitude towards what he was trying to do.

"I do." Claire said. "And before you say anything else about her, you might want to check on her about that sort of thing and rethink how safe it'll be once that gets around." Edward's face fell as he tried to think of something else to say.

"So, is it finally my turn?" Claire asked. "If so, I want to know; do you prefer Mr. Nigma or Mr. Nashton?" Edward shot up in his seat, watching Claire's unflinching blue eyes. The guards entered the room and Claire dismissed them.

"Before you say anything else, Edward, be aware that it isn't nice to ask a woman personal questions she does not feel comfortable asking. So the next time you do this, I will ask your guards to send you back to your cell and maybe put you in isolation where the security will be a little more impossible to hid from." Claire said. "And I'd return that file to where it belongs tonight or Security Officer Cash will have to make his way to Warden Sharp's office first thing in the morning."

Edward stared at Claire and slowly sat down. He wasn't sure what to say after that but felt like his voice had completely disappeared. Claire stood up, gathered her things and went towards the door to request the guards place him back in his cell. She looked back at him and smiled as she said her good-bye to him.

"So that solved that, eh?" Cash laughed.

"Yeah, I don't think that's ever happened before." Dr. Cassidy said.

"Yeah, well, after growing up with Bruce you learn a few things." Claire muttered. "He's not that bad it's his habits that are enough to annoy anyone."

"So what're you going to do now?" Dr. Cassidy asked. "Riddler's gonna have an eye on you for doing that."

"Actually, I think I might be safe but it does help to probably go over my martial arts skills again." Claire said. She looked at her watch. "Oh shit! I have to get going to meet Bruce at a banquet or something."

"Thought you didn't like hanging around him." Cash said.

"He's family." Claire said. "That and someone needs to tell Alfred when it's time to go home."

"We'll see you tomorrow then!" Dr. Cassidy said as she and Cash left Claire's office.

Claire started packing her things and took off her doctor's coat, leaving it on her chair. She was so wrapped in to watch she was doing that she didn't hear someone entering her office. She turned around, ready to leave and almost jumped out of her skin as she saw Edward's face.

"Ed! What're you doing out of your cell?" Claire asked.

"Well… I just wanted to say I was sorry?" He shrugged.

"Narcissists aren't sorry for trumping other people's parades and even if they mean it, they don't." Claire said. "What're you doing here?"

"I find that offensive, doctor." Edward frowned. "Today was one of the few times…" He trailed off.

"Few times that…?" Claire egged him on.

"Few times that I've… been beaten… at my own game." Edward finished hesitantly.

"With the doe eyed look you gave me, I couldn't imagine it." Claire said. "Now go back to your cell before you get caught and we'll continue our session tomorrow. Just stay in your cell and ask me whatever it is you want to know. That's how a relationship is formed." Claire smiled at her last remark and saw a smile flash away on Edward's face as well. He left her office and walked into the depths of Arkham once again and Claire watched as he disappeared into the shadows.

_i'Maybe there's hope for him after all…?'/i_ She thought as she made her way out of the building.


	4. Dark

4. Dark

Two-Face x Frostbite: Cold Exteriors

"Another freak?"

"Great."

"They seem to be coming in packs now."

"The file says she's highly aggressive, like the other super-criminals."

"What's it matter? She's going to end up escaping and causing trouble like the others."

Frostbite's anger grew at the words the guards, inmates, and even the staff members said as she was taken to a secluded area of Arkham Asylum. Her nose twitched from the nearly overwhelming scent of medicine and antiseptics. Frost looked around at the gloomy and steel hallways and wondered why everyone wanted to escape such a bad place.

"Come on, freak!" One of the guards said as he shoved Frost into a cell. She slammed into the brick wall on the other side of the cell and felt the palms of her hand and nose starting to heat up. She shook her head and gave them a dirty look as her cell closed and they started walking off.

Frost looked at her ugly orange uniform and sighed in disgust. She slid out of the sleeves and let the jacket just slump around her waist as she patted down her white tank top. She felt a collar around her neck and sighed as she thought that she might've been done with another electrical collar. She then sniffed the air and cringed once more.

"It smells like death…" She growled.

"That's because people have died here, Captain Obvious." Someone grumbled. Frost looked across from her cell to see another inmate with half of his face singed.

"Oh shut your ugly mug!" Frost puffed as she went over to her bed and rolled onto it, pretending to be trying to go to sleep.

"You wanna piece of me, mutt?" Two-Face called out.

"Not interested in getting as ugly as you." Frost snapped.

Frost tried to ignore his angry screams as she drifted off and began another daily pattern at Arkham again. She got up, had something to eat with her medicine, then went to talk to a doctor for a bit, was sent back to her cell again, and then got some free time in the rec room after lunch. This was how things always went at Arkham and life was constrained for those who had been brought in by Batman or even the cops. She silently wished that her sentence would go by quickly so she wouldn't have to encounter anyone. She always hated being at Arkham, especially when the other super-criminals were there. Someone always messed around with her, by getting her into a fight or messing with her meds, and it made is difficult to be on her best behavior.

Frost was happy that the other inmates had always avoided her or scampered off whenever she sat near them. That was one of the perks she liked but she hated being alone. Though she couldn't figure out if she liked company more than silence, both had their ups and downs but the inmates didn't want to test it out.

A few days went by and Frost got out on good behavior, like usual. Another couple of months later, she came back to the Asylum with a few scars next to her right eye and hadn't opened it since she received them. Frost figured this would make it easier for the other inmates to take advantage of her or something of the sort and gave them angry retorts whenever they got to close to her.

One night, she looked around the area outside her cell and didn't see Two-Face. She was glad but they'd usually be somewhere near each other on the same wing. She sighed and figured he must be out of Arkham as she rolled onto her bed.

"Who's got the ugly face now?" Two-Face hollered across from her cell. She looked back and spotted him in a cell a few down from hers on the other side of the hallway.

"You do, dumbass." Frost said bluntly.

The argued for a few more minutes until a guard hollered at them to shut up. So they hollered at him to mind his own business. They slunk to their beds and waited for sleep to claim them as the sun rose.

A few more silent days passed as Frost was eating her lunch one day. Her icy eye flickered over towards a lumbering figure making his way towards her. The smell of sewage made her nose wrinkle and she was sure that the food also contributed to the rank smell.

"Well, well, if it ain't the mutt." The figure said.

"Leave me alone Croc." Frost said, giving him a warning growl.

"What's wrong? Trying to play nice with the staff?" He laughed.

"It gets you outta this hell hole faster. You might wanna try it." Frost frowned as she took another spoonful of her 'soup'.

Croc grabbed her tray and threw it into her face. Frost started to growl in anger and looked up at the eight foot crocodile. The room was silent as the inmates and guards watched carefully to what would happen next. Frost stood up and wiped off the food from her face.

"What're you gonna do, mutt?" Croc smirked, knowing full well what she would do next.

Frost narrowed her eye and sighed. She turned around and started to walk off but Croc had grabbed her shoulder first. She eyed the scaly hand with a smug look. Her first thought was to throw him into the wall in front of her or to bite him but she shrugged it off. She turned around to tell him to leave her alone when his other fist came crashing into her.

Frost stumbled back into a table and shook her head. She bared her teeth and lunged at him. Croc swung at her again, she dodged the blow and chomped down on the thick skin as hard as she could. Croc yelped in pain and started to try and thwart Frost off of his arm by hitting her. She bore through the pain as the guards tried to separate them but were knocked away by Croc. Frost wrapped her arms around Croc's forearm and put her feet on his chest then swung around him and onto his back. She pushed him onto the ground with her foot and pulled on his arm until she heard a faint snap as well as a tremendous and deafening roar. Frost jumped off him and backed off a little as Croc got to his feet and glared her down. She was snarling and had her head hung low like a dog as it was warning their offender to go away. Her teeth were stained with blood like the rest of her face and her fists were clenched in anger.

"I'm going to kill you now, Frost." Croc growled.

"You started this!" Frost barked. "Whatever happens next, you deserve!"

As Croc lunged at her, Frost drew up her arms in defense and readied herself for another attack but instead heard another yelp of pain and a surge of electricity. She looked through her arms and saw that Croc was on the ground in front of her. Before she could do anything there was a surge of electricity that ran through her collar that made her yelp from the sudden pain and left her feeling like jelly as she slumped to the ground. Before she blacked out, a group of guards surrounded them in case they got to their feet and she could've sworn she'd seen Two-Face's smug look.

Frost started to wake up and felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks. She sluggishly sat up in her bed and tried to stretch her limbs. Her eyes and cheeks felt swollen and she could feel a few of her mending bones crack with unease. She moved her arm and winced from the slight pain. She winced slightly again as she yawned and realized how hungry she was as her stomach let out a loud noise.

"Someone's up." Two-Face said as he watched Frost.

"What the hell do you want?" Frost asked hoarsely.

"Just stating the obvious." He replied as she walked towards the door to her cell. "May I add that your face looks like it's been through a wood chipper?" He laughed.

"I dunno why that's so funny, the same happened to you." Frost replied bluntly. Two-Face shot her a dirty look and Frost shrugged it off. "How long was I out." She asked.

"A couple of days." He said. "That was some fight. I thought he was really going to kill you."

_i'So did I…'/i_ Frost thought as she laid back down on her bed.

Frost sighed and wondered what would happen next. Lunch came by again she received looks from everyone but ignored them as she tried to concentrate on something other than the inmates and their giggling. A few brave inmates made some taunts about Croc coming by to finish the job and received an angry snarl that made them jump. She sat down and looked at her questionable meal.

"Hello Frostbite." An enigmatic man said as he coolly slid into the seat across from her.

"Fuck off, Nigma." Frost said. "Don't you have a doctor to annoy?"

"Well there is one but she's busy at the moment." He smiled. "So, how are the bruises?"

"Why? Want a few for yourself?" Frost asked with an annoyed tone. Frost couldn't stand Nigma and how he acted; it made her want to beat the tar out of him.

"Now, now, that's no way to act after just waking up." Nigma edged.

Two-Face watched as Nigma egged on Frost and making her angrier than she already was. He noticed the slender man's hand reaching into his pocket and taking something out. Two-Face sighed as he imagined how Frost would react to Nigma's idea of 'fun' towards someone that could possibly put him into a coma, with or without the bruises.

"Fuck off, Nigma!" Frost growled and stood up to chase him off. Nigma stood his ground bravely but ran off as Frost started to walk towards him. Just as Frost left her seat, Crane snuck towards her tray and slipped in something and mixing it in her food and ran off as soon as Frost returned to her spot. Two-Face stood up and walked towards her and knocked the spoon out of her hand. He tried to stifle a laugh as Frost gave him an angry glare with her swollen face.

"I wouldn't eat that." He said. "Crane slipped something in there." He grabbed Frost's tray and replaced it with his. Frost watched as he sauntered off and out of the cafeteria after he threw away her tray.

Frost sniffed the air and frowned. She looked down the hallways of her cell as she impatiently waited for Two-Face to appear from his interview with one of the doctors. She paced back and forth in her cell and whenever she heard the jingling of chains on either side of the hallway, she dashed to the barred doors and listened carefully as the inmates passed with their guard escorts. Several inmates had passed her and none of them were Two-Face.

_i'Why do I even bother?'/i_ She thought. _i'It's not like the bipolar freak likes me or owed me one. And he had no right to help me out! Ungrateful bastard… Though, it did save a trip to the Medical Facility I guess…'/i_ Frost felt conflicted as she thought over the reasons of why Two-Face had helped her. They quickly dispersed from her mind as she caught the faint scent of something that had been burning.

_i'Amazing how that smell has stuck to him after all these years.'/i_ Frost thought as she watched the guards toss him into his cell and unshackled his wrists. He turned around to see Frostbite giving him a questionable look.

"What do you want, mutt?" He growled.

"Just curious as to why that burning smell hasn't left you yet." Frost asked.

"Well those marks on your face haven't left you either." Two-Face retorted.

"Yeah yeah." She growled. Frost's eye caught him slouching in his bed, getting ready to sleep. She tried to gather her words but didn't know what to say exactly; being nice wasn't her forte but she felt like she needed to say something.

"Hey, about this afternoon…" She started.

"Don't tell me _iyou're/i_ going to thank me for helping you." Two-Face scoffed.

"And what if I do?" Frost asked.

"Then I'd call you an idiot." He said plainly. "I only helped because I'm tired of them playing the same tricks on you."

"That's not what they're gonna get from that." Frost grinned.

"You afraid of a scarecrow and a know-it-all?" He frowned.

"Like hell I am!" She growled.

"Good." He said and turned around in his bed. Frost rolled onto hers and closed her eyes. She could hear Two-Face murmuring something and could only make out: "That's what I'd expect from you." Frost gritted her teeth and huffed angrily, letting Two-Face know she could hear him.

The next few weeks Frost was mocked or hinted to being in love with Two-Face by the other inmates. She scared them out of the idea but rumors kept going around and she didn't know how to shrug it off. She asked Two-Face about it one night and replied that he thought it was funny how it was getting on her nerves more than his. She cursed at him and ignored him for the rest of the day.

A few more months passed and Frost was out of Arkham Asylum and on the streets of Gotham. She kept going back and forth between joining and leaving Joker's gang. She eventually left and started her own little thing against Penguin and his goons. As she was walking through the streets of where the Museum was in Gotham, she could hear gun shots and angry hollering. Frost made her way towards it and found that Two-Face and Penguin were about to start another gang war.

"Those two never give up." She grumbled as she zipped up her parka and tried to stuff her face in the warmth the fur provided. She looked up at the sky and cursed how cold it was and that it was unfair for it to be this cold and still have no place to living in. But she was taken from her thought as a few more gunshots went off; one of which landed next to her ear.

"HEY!" She barked at Penguin. "You want to die, rodent?"

"Lookie who it is!" The short man squawked. "If it ain't the little wolf."

"LITTLE!?" She growled. "You wanna see little? Come here and so I can smash your head into the pavement, then we'll see who's little!"

Frost jumped from the alley she was hiding in and slashed at Penguin's thugs. She could've cared less if they were injured, knocked out, or had died, she was concentrating on making her way to Penguin. So would've reached him if one of his friends didn't get in her way.

"Move it, Goldie." Frost growled, as blood dripped from her face.

"You'll hurt my little Ozzy and I can't let you do that!" The dark skinned woman said. She brandished a military grade pistol from her fur coat, which covered her golden dress, and aimed it at her. "Now say good night, poochie, you're being put down!"

"That's a lame line if I ever heard one." Frost mumbled as she kicked the gun from Goldie's hand. "But this is gonna hurt." Frost punched Goldie in the face and put her foot on her stomach to keep her from getting up.

"Lemme go!" Goldie demanded.

"Now for you, Cobblepot." Frost growled, ignoring Goldie's protests. She looked down at Goldie and gave her a smug look before kicking Penguin off his feet and rubbing his face into the ground with her foot.

"Freeze!" Penguin's thugs, what was left of them, had recomposed themselves and aimed their military grade weapons at Frostbite. She gave them a smug look as she figured a way out of her situation.

"You're really going to shoot me as I smash your boss's head into the ground?" She asked. "And what if you accidentally shot your boss?"

"Then we'll keep shooting you!" Goldie said angrily.

"Oh, you're up." Frost frowned.

Frost grabbed Penguin and threw him at his thugs and Goldie as she dashed into an alleyway to make her escape. Frost encountered some more of Penguin's goons and took out as many as she could before running into Two-Face's men. They had surrounded her and waited for their boss to arrive. Frost could still smell the same burned scent he had and looked at him as he walked towards her.

"So you're what caused Penguin trouble." He observed.

"Certainly wasn't Batman." Frost retorted.

"We were thinking it might've been." Two-Face replied. "Glad to see it wasn't him though."

Frost shrugged off his response and tried to leave but his thugs blocked her escape routes like a wall. She growled and glared over at Two-Face with her closed eye.

"You know it's hard to take you seriously with that eye." He laughed. His thugs all jumped and were surprised that he'd laugh at something. Frost walked towards him and looked him in the eye.

"Will you shut up?" She barked.

"Will you stop being mean?" He asked.

"Like hell that'll happen." She grumbled.

"I'm curious to know how you were stupide enough to cut through Penguin's thugs and thrash him and his girlfriend around and return with a few bullets and cuts." Two-Face said.

"If I can survive that stupid asylum, I can survive Penguin and his stupid gang. Besides, it'll be fine, he'll still give me a steak at the Iceberg Lounge anyways." Frost laughed. "Besides, it's worse with Joker."

Two-Face was silent for a moment. Frost sighed and looked around for a way to get back to her makeshift place before another one of his thugs claimed it as their own.

"Are you still interested in being in a gang?" He asked after a few minutes. Frost turned to face him.

"Why do you ask?" She replied.

"Because I want you to be a part of my gang." Two-Face said. His thugs were about to have a heart attack as they tried to think out why he would ask Frost such a thing; seeing how she was more hot-headed than he was. The two criminals had a stare down for a few minutes before Frost gave up and shrugged.

"I don't see why not." Frost said and added, "Just as long as I don't have to look like your ugly mug."

Frostbite looked around, as Two-Face started to walk back to the Courthouse, and noticed that most of his gang members were either passed out or freaking out about her being part of his gang. She looked at the back of Two-Face's uneven head and grimaced.

_i'I guess this isn't the worst thing that's happened.'/i_ She thought. _i'I could be part of Joker's gang again.'/i_


	5. Seeking Solace

5. Seeking Solace

Shadow's Confessions

_i"Fire Style: Dragon's Prison!" Kira cried out. Both Shadow and Timber jumped away from Pain and a giant flaming cage surrounded him. The cage was reinforced by several metal barriers and became a furnace._

"_Now we got him." Shadow grinned._

"_No one can survive that." Kira panted._

_But their victory was short-lived; another Pain appeared and caught them off-guard. He sent them flying across the empty field and into the remnants of the village. As they got to their feet another pair of Pains attacked them. Shadow retaliated by using her Flaming Rasengan against them, not that it did much damage but it stopped their relentless assault. Shadow looked around and assessed the situation a little bit._

"_Timber." Shadow said, struggling to stay on her feet. "Take Kira and go."_

"_But what about you?" He asked._

"_I'll go into Sage Mode and try to fight him off." Shadow said._

"_We can't leave you by yourself!" Timber fought back._

"_And I'm not letting you two die here." Shadow snapped. "Now take her and go. Find Saiya at least…"_

_Timber frowned and watched as his master slowly got to her feet and faced their enemies. He couldn't let Shadow fight them alone… not like Master Jiraiya did. He swallowed his pride, turning into his human form, and ran over to Kira. He grabbed her ran towards the Hidden Leaf, not looking back._

_Shadow looked up to see the four Pains left and grimaced. She took a deep breath to relax and ran towards them. A burst of flames erupted from the Dragon's Prison and the first Pain rose towards the skies, unscathed and angry as ever._

"_What?" Shadow stammered. "No one can escape from that!"_

_The Pain pulled her towards him and let his other forms fight her. Shadow used her Archena to predict a couple of their attacks. She countered the best she could and tried to distance herself from them. One of them knocked her off balance towards the broken prison. She panicked as she felt herself being thrown into the air. Images of what the Pains did to Jiraiya came to mind and a hard lump trapped itself in her throat._

"_You shall feel Pain." He said as watched Shadow rise higher towards the sky./i_

"Ah!" Shadow gasped as she sat up on her bed. Her silvery hair was matted against her face as sweat rolled down her tanned cheeks. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and looked around.

"Where am I?" She murmured.

The place around her left a peaceful, yet ghostly, feeling. She knew she was in the Konoha Hospital, because of the clean beds and needles everywhere, but something was… off. Shadow couldn't smell a single thing and she guessed that the staff wasn't here… but where could they be? She looked at herself and was surprised to see that there weren't any tears in her clothes. Her black jeans weren't torn up and neither was her black sleeveless shirt. She couldn't find a single cut on her bare arms and all the wounds that she gained trying to protect the Leaf from Pain's attack weren't there. She poked the middle of her chest, where Pain had struck her, and winced from the slight pain.

"Looks like I really did die, eh?" Shadow sighed.

She got up from her bed and walked towards the door out of the room. When she opened it, she found herself outside the hospital. Bewildered, Shadow decided not to question it and just started to look around for anything, or anyone, that was here. The wind picked up and leaves flew from the entrance of the village towards the Hokage Monument. She could make out a figure but she wasn't sure who or what it was.

Shadow shrugged and started towards it. As she dashed through the empty streets of Konoha, everything seemed to meld together. She looked to her left and right and saw blurs of the Konoha she was in and the other that was wrecked and destroyed. Screams of terror ran through her ears and chills ran down her spine as she felt another push from the wind propel her forward.

"Guess this is when Pain used that gravity jutsu of his…" Shadow murmured as she remembered her and Kira fighting Pain after he demolished the whole village.

Her heart started to race and another lump was in her throat. The faces of the Hokages were just up ahead and her vision was starting to blur. Shadow fell to her knees and tried to calm down as the waves of pain came to her. She held her head, like a kid would when they're trying to make a headache go away. She wanted it to end but wasn't sure where it was coming from as she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

"Hey, you okay?" A man asked. Shadow winced and looked up to see a familiar face. He had white spikey hair that was tied up, two red marks running down his cheeks, and a dumb smile on his face. She also noticed he was wearing the same clothes he always had.

"Hey Old Man." Shadow smiled. "You really need to find a new wardrobe."

"That's not a nice thing to say to your teacher." Jiraiya groaned as he helped her to her feet.

"You'll live." She chuckled.

"So this isn't where I'd expect to find you… or at least so soon." Jiraiya sighed.

"Yeah well, according to Pain, I take after you too much." Shadow retorted. "I mean you know anyone else dumb enough to dive headfirst into that mess?"

"You would and so would a certain boy." He said.

"Naruto's his own beast." Shadow said. "Anyways, notice anything odd about me?" Jiraiya looked at Shadow carefully and shook his head.

"You gained weight again. What have I told you about that sake and barbeque?" Jiraiya scolded.

"I didn't!" She paused for a moment. "…Did I really?" Shadow frowned as she looked at her stomach.

"No you didn't." Jiraiya laughed.

"You ass!" Shadow growled. "That's not what I meant! Was there anything at all that I didn't have the last time we saw each other?!" Jiraiya looked at Shadow one more time and tried to figure it out and shrugged it defeat.

"Couldn't be those blue eyes of yours." He laughed.

"And you're the blame for 'em too." Shadow laughed.

The pair looked around the ghostly village. Everything looked eerie but also peaceful. Shadow couldn't believe how calm the whole place looked, despite it being deserted. Shadow started to wonder if all of the people who died today would join her in this eerie place and then she remembered Kakashi.

"Hey, my brother isn't going to be here… is he?" Shadow asked, kind of afraid to hear what he was going to say.

"I don't think so… why?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well… Pain attacked the village and well… shit's hitting the fan right now." Shadow sighed.

"How's Tsunade?" He asked.

"Last I checked I left her at the Hokage Mansion with an Anbu squad." She said. "I'm not sure if she'll survive this onslaught with Katsuya."

"But she'll live. Tsunade's not going down that easily." Jiraiya laughed.

"Ain't that the truth?" Shadow said.

The pair looked around for a moment before setting off somewhere else. Shadow wasn't sure what was going on but she was kind of glad to see her sensei again. She hated how he just forced her and the toad to run off back to the Leaf Village. Shadow coughed and whipped the blood from her face.

"Still coughing?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah well no one's perfect, Old Man." Shadow jabbed.

"You're right! I'm perfect!" He grinned widely.

"Well, we're doomed then." Shadow sighed dramatically.

"You know, you're easier to get along with now than you were when you were a bratty kid." Jiraiya said.

"Oh gee, thanks." Shadow frowned.

"I mean it! You were evil when you were a kid!" He said.

"And you were the worst person in the world!" She retorted. "Who takes someone for a few years of training the _iDAY/i_ before the Chunin Exams finals start?!"

"Well it was worth it, I mean look where you ended up." Jiraiya smiled, with pride.

"Oh shut it." Shadow groaned.

"So still want to learn the Rasengan?" Jiraiya asked.

"How many times do I need to tell you to stop it?" Shadow growled.

"Oh come on! You gotta admit that whole exchange was funny." Jiraiya laughed. "I mean you were trying so hard _inot/i_ to learn it and then you have Naruto trying everything _ito/i_ learn it!"

"I still think it's stupid." Shadow said.

"Says the girl who's recognized for using a 'flaming ball of chakra'." Jiraiya jabbed.

"Eh." Shadow shrugged. "It is what it is."

Shadow and Jiraiya arrived at the Hokage Monument and looked at it for a while before realizing they were both sitting on the Fourth Hokage's head. Shadow looked around for a moment.

"You sure we're not in a bizarre dream…?" She asked. "Oh, right why would you be in my dreams?" Shadow laughed.

"Thanks." Jiraiya sighed. Shadow elbowed him and looked at the village below.

"You know, if it weren't for the fact that we're both just here in this creepy place, I'd say the view looks beautiful." She said. "Oh, where are we by the way?"

"Konoha…?" Jiraiya said, giving Shadow a weird look.

"No! I mean why do we jump from place to place and not know how we got here?" She asked.

"You've never read story books have you?" He asked.

"Of course I did!" She growled.

"Any of them talk about a certain place called 'Limbo'?" He asked.

"Limbo?" Shadow asked.

"You seriously don't know about that?" He groaned.

"I never said I was a genius!" Shadow barked. "It was just implied…"

"Oh, that makes me feel better." Jiraiya said and scratched his head as he thought of how to explain it.

_i'Guess I'm never too old to learn new tricks…' Shadow thought to herself./i_

"It's basically 'a place in between'. Legends say it's supposed to be the final destination before determining where you should go to either Heaven or Hell." Jiraiya said.

"With the crap I've done over the years, I think it'd be an easy decision." Shadow sighed.

Shadow let Jiraiya ramble on about something as she started to get lost in her thoughts. She was thinking about some of things she did in her life. She wasn't proud of a lot of them and she was proud of so few. She sighed as Itachi came to mind. She looked at the village again, still paying Jiraiya no attention.

_i'Itachi… Did he ever…?'/i_ Shadow began to wonder. _i'I mean he did help me out when we were in the Anbu and then after he left and on several missions… Maybe it's a friendship thing?'/i_ Shadow sighed at the thought. _i'Maybe…'/i_ She started to think about a few missions they were on together and then the last time she saw him before Naruto came back to Konoha.

"And then Tsunade hit me on the head! I mean you'd think she'd forgive me for returning the girl her money." Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his head. He looked at Shadow and nudged her.

"You awake?" He asked.

"Just… thinking is all." She replied.

"What about?" He asked. "Life?"

"Kind of…" She said. "I'm just thinking about what I've done is all."

"You'll keep doing great things, kid." Jiraiya said.

"Sure, me and my undead form shall rule the world!" Shadow said triumphantly and then she frowned just as quick. "But I'm just thinking of the one person I was chasing my whole life."

"Itachi?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm not sure he ever actually cared…" Shadow murmured. "I mean he's helped me with some of my Anbu missions and saved me a couple of times from getting myself killed but he also used his Sharingan a few times too."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't care." Jiraiya said.

"I know but just thinking about it over all, is what I'm getting at." Shadow said. "I think we've just been friends our whole lives is all… and after Tsunade agreed to be Hokage, I've been thinking of why I couldn't stop chasing him…"

Jiraiya looked at Shadow's sad expression and rubbed his head again. He wasn't quite sure what to do or how to encourage his student. He sighed and looked out to the village.

"Well… just think of it this way, when you go back to the others just take another look around." Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, I guess… wait a minute." Shadow looked over at him. "What do you mean 'when I get back'?" Jiraiya looked at her hand and she did the same. It was transparent and before she could say anything she heard a jutsu being used.

"Rinne… ten… sei?" Shadow murmured.

"Well, I hope to see you again but not too soon." Jiraiya said as Shadow disappeared.

Shadow groaned in pain as she started to wake up. She looked around and saw her three students all sitting around her. There was boy was short messy brown hair that was tied up into a small knot that sat on his neck, he had a red Chinese attire on with the left sleeve torn off; the boy next to him had long, dark green hair that was tied back and resting on his back, he wore a gray attire with a green haori; and there was a girl next to Shadow, she had long, black hair that was braided back and part of her bangs covered her right eye, she had on a purple colored outfit with a lighter purple sash around her waist.

"Saiya?" Shadow murmured as she looked at the purple robed girl.

"I told you she'd say her name!" The red boy said.

"Oh shut up!" The green one said. "She'd say her name because Saiya's healing her!"

"Tsuru! Kiku! Shut up!" Saiya scolded. "Sensei's trying to wake up and it's hard to concentrate!"

Shadow sat up only to be thrown back down when the boys hugged her. Shadow was squirming under their weight and having a hard time breathing as they didn't let up. Saiya tapped their shoulders and they both fell over, groaning in pain. Saiya helped Shadow to her feet.

"Thanks Saiya." Shadow smiled.

"No problem, sensei." Saiya grinned. "If you're looking for Kira and Kakashi sensei, they're over there."

Saiya pointed to a pile of rubble that was thrown in every which direction but Shadow kept her gaze on a red haired woman holding a silver haired man in her arms, Timber was next to them. Shadow went over towards them and helped Kakashi to his feet as the girls guided him to the hospital.

"Shadow!" Kira smiled.

"Yep. Now let's get going, huh?" Shadow grinned.

A couple days passed and Shadow was on her regular schedule again as she left the hospital. Shadow stretched and started looking around the makeshift construction going on in the village. She saw that Guy was doing everything in his power to help everyone out.

"Guy never takes a break…" Shadow sighed as she saw him doing push-ups and hammering things into place almost all that the same time.

"Makes my body hurt just looking at him." Shadow groaned as she quickly left. Shadow started to walk around aimlessly and hoped Guy didn't see her.

"Shadow!" Someone said. Shadow was afraid it might've been Guy but turned around to see Yamato.

"Hey Yamato." Shadow said.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "You look like you've seen something bad."

"Does Guy count?" She asked.

"I'd say so." He laughed.

Shadow looked around as Yamato started talking about this and that. Shadow looked around and remembered something Jiraiya said.

_i"Well… just think of it this way, when you go back to the others just take another look around."/i_

So she did and saw Yamato. She started laughing and got a concerned look from Yamato.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned that she might need to go back to the hospital.

"It's nothing. I just… Mind if we talk?" Shadow smiled.


End file.
